The 1 August date is well ahead of Intel's broad desktop release timeframe, which pegs the arrival of 64-bit desktop Pentium 4s to the availability of 'Longhorn', the next major release of Windows.

The solution to the conundrum is simple: Intel is enabling 64-bit processing in the Pentium 4 chips it sells into the single-processor workstation market, and they're unlikely to be offered in single, boxed quantities. We understand that the 64-bit P4s will be priced much the same as current desktop-oriented P4s at comparable clock speeds.

A month or so before the 1 August launch, on 27 June, Intel will reportedly ship 'Nocona', the first Xeon with 64-bit support. On the same date, it will ship its E7525 chipset, which supports the new server/workstation processor. ®